Freedom of Speech and Atheist 'Bullying'

--Voicemail on freedom of speech and Atheist bullying

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[frankmanti]

Religion deserves to be ridiculed and mocked. I think it's more than fair. The damage caused by religion justifies criticism of religion.

[Thurgor_Supreme]

I still haven't "come out of the closet" with atheism because my family would probably lose their minds and flameblast me with awkward confrontations and verbal harassment, but I'm the one that's considered the bully in the eyes of the status quo. Sigh... Christians never cease to amaze me.

[RizenLink]

In elementary school music class I had to sing songs like 'who built the arc?  Noah, Noah!...' and that was the only thing imposed on kids.  No Jewish, Muslim, atheist, etc stuff.  

[gordonbradley]

To " believe " ? To accept as fact that for which there is no evidence ? Or to accept as a fact some proposition which actually contradicts all available evidence ? You're damn right that atheists are smarter than " believers "

[LeGrimReaper]

My school created a Christianity club so I created an Atheism club

[ogunbaboy]

I rarely speak about my atheism to anyone nor do I publicly speak about it. :p

[TAB]

Why are any religious 'clubs' even allowed in public schools, separation of church and state should prevent it from happening. Want a religious 'club', go to a church.

[thalldvthox]

I suggest that the caller avoids misinterpreting someone having a differing position regarding the Yahweh claim(like atheists) as being bullies. A believer saying  "God exists" shouldn't be held to a different standard than a non-believer saying "God doesn't exist." Both are simply stating their positions regarding the Yahweh claim.

The subject of the Yahweh character gets to the core of many popular worldviews, and it can be uncomfortable to address. However the fact that a subject is discomforting doesn't make it unacceptable. That's getting absurdly close to the same reasoning put forth by so many fundamentalists of Abrahamic belief systems, who believe the subject to be "sacred" and unquestionable. And to that I have to ask, if you can't deal with any conflicting positions reasonably, then how is your position not simply contrived?

[Eltrio]

Oh yeah that makes sense. "That guy thinks he's smarter cause he doesn't believe in a magical sky daddy. He's a bully. Let's kick his ass!"

[JHRobbins]

I think you and Louis identify as agnostic and/or atheist and that has never stopped me from listening to your program even though, as a natural consequence of your belief, there are times when you lean a bit heavy against people of faith. It is so benign as to not be worth bothering about until a question like this comes up. As a gay man of faith there are not many places to go on the internet where one's beliefs are secure. The LGBT sites tend to be more atheistic in tone and the comments are generally very aggressive in the posts against faith and the sites of faith tend to not be as welcoming to the LGBT community. There are sites for LGBT people of faith, but they are rather few and far between. This is not an accusation, but rather an observation. If, for instance, I go to JoeMyGod and mention that I am a person of faith, I had better prepare to be mocked and/or reviled. Consequently, I don't go to JMG any more and I really did like the site.

[lavia]

Lol the guy on the voice mail sounded so hypocritical. It is hilarious to hear keep completely contradict themselves without even having the knowledge that they are doing so. 

[modelmajorpita]

A student-run club is not the same thing as wearing a symbol of some sort.  If the Atheist club was just being banned from putting up fliers or something, it might be comparable.

[trevortrevortsr]

Founding a group around what you don't believe seems  even more cranky than forming a group around what you have been indoctrinated into -  form groups around tangible interests seems far less problematic  

[DensetsuVI]

What sort of bubble does a person live in, that people talking intelligently has a causation with them being bullies?

I've dealt with bullies in my life, they were especially bad in middle school and early high school. If there is one trait that I can honestly associate most of them with, it was not intelligence, rather most were actually slower and less able to understand or comprehend as well as others. Hell, most of the repeat offender bullies had actually been held back a year or more. In my personal experience, more intelligent people, not as a rule but on average, tend to be more empathetic.

[VernalScott]

The world is big enough for believers and non-believers alike,  but the stuff hits the fan when we try to force our particular position onto others. Live and let live, people, and quit trying to be 'right'.

[alanw]

Once again (not that it will matter), I must explain what atheism is to people who refuse to accept what it is. It is a lack of belief in a God/and or gods based on lack of evidence for their existence. That's it...no more, no less. Have a nice day.

[brigadierharsh]

Discrimination is a bit of an overstatement. I can't think of something more idiotic then a bunch of emo kids sitting around talking about how much they don't believe in something. That is like starting a club for people who don't play hockey, no wonder the school didn't support it. 

[VfletchS]

I don't think of someone as very intelligent if they believe in magic (or professional wrestling).

[justjanice]

I love Bill Maher except he does make fun of people that believe in God ! And I do. I just don't understand his need to say it so much. I have decided to stop watching his show . Which is sad because I use to look forward to them. But he doesn't let up. Why ?

[satanicblondie]

When you feel that you don't fit in with those who surround you in life, do you separate yourself from those who love you, or should you keep them close and live a complacent life? Like Chrisitanity, Atheism is a trend. Sadly, as a group, they are becoming like those that they despise.